A bill to prohibit convicted felons from running for office has been pre-filed for the regular session by Metairie senator Conrad Appel. It’s already been passed once, but as Michael Farrar reports it’s back again.
Cut 1 (28) “I’m Michael Farrar.”
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The University of Louisiana at Monroe has one of the best online courses in the country. Kelley Ray has more.
Cut 2 (30) “I’m Kelley Ray.”
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Three days are left in the special session and it looks like the House will not pass any legislation to address the fiscal cliff. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 3 (32) “I’m Jeff Palermo”
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A sort of “Re-do” bill has been pre-filed for the upcoming legislative regular session by Metairie Senator Conrad Appel. Senate Bill 31 disqualifies would be candidates from running for office after convicted of a felony for at least 15 years after they have served a sentence. Voters approved this legislation before, but the Louisiana Supreme Court tossed it out, because the version that appeared on the ballot was different than what legislators approved. So Appel wants to put it on the ballot again…
Cut 4 (10) “has elapsed.”
The “re-do” measure was also killed last session in the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, but Appel is bringing it back again.
Cut 5 (11) “or not.”
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Bestschools.org has ULM as the only Louisiana college to be ranked in the 100 Best Online Colleges, coming in at number 58. Online Programs coordinator Katie Dawson says the wide range of degrees they offer through the internet is a large reason they get high marks…
Cut 6 (08) “doctoral programs.”
They are especially proud of one group who are can’t make it to the campus, but Dawson says they still are seeking a high quality education…
Cut 7 (06) “taking classes.”
Dawson says the commitment to excellence the professors provide on campus spills over to the online program, which is a big part of the program’s success…
Cut 8 (08) “our success.”
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The Louisiana School Board Association is asking the state legislature for an increase of 70-million-dollars to provide better school security and increase safety measures. LSBA Executive Director Scott Richard says the increase would allow schools to put their local funds to better use…
Cut 9 (12) “local funding.”
In light of the Florida school shooting that killed 17, all schools are on high alert. Even if the request is not granted, Richard says it’s a good time for schools to look over protocols currently in use…
Cut 10 (09) “in place.”
Governor Edwards says he wants to honor LBSA’s funding increase request by 2.75 percent. Richard hopes Edwards can make good on his promise to…
Cut 11 (07) “the state.”
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All hope appears lost that the state legislature will pass any tax measures in this special session to address a nearly one-billion dollar shortfall. A sales tax bill that would provide nearly 300-million dollars in revenues was defeated soundly for a second time last night. Jeremy Alford, the publisher of LA-politics-dot-com, was there for the vote
Cut 12 (09) “70 vote”
After the vote, the House adjourned until 4 PM today . But Alford says it’s unlikely the fractured House will gather the necessary 70 votes to pass this sales tax bill or the 53 votes to approve a separate income tax bill that’s also been discussed…
Cut 13 (07) “from this”
Two weeks ago, a 17-day special session began with hope lawmakers would close a 994-million dollar shortfall that will come about when temporary sales taxes expire on June 30th. Alford says this session is on the verge of crashing and burning, because no one was able to get on the same page on how to solve the fiscal cliff
Cut 14 (10) “off of it.”
Governor John Bel Edwards says House leadership is not negotiating in good faith. He says a vast majority of the House wanted to solve this problem, but were not given the chance. The governor says budget reform proposals wanted by the speaker made it through the process. He says the governor kept his promise, House leadership did not.
The session must end at midnight on Wednesday night.
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LSU basketball finished the regular season on a high note with a 78-57 win over Mississippi State on Saturday. Coach Will Wade’s team will play the Bulldogs again Thursday night in the 2nd round of the SEC Tournament
Cut 15 (15) “advance mode”
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 17-13 record, 8-10 in the SEC. Not good enough to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. But Wade is excited about the possibility of playing in the NIT
Cut 16 (13) “get in the thing”
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Southeastern Louisiana has the top seed in this week’s Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas after beating Nicholls for a second time this season on Saturday. Coach Jay Ladner’s team clinched a share of the Southland title with that win over the Colonels, but now the goal is to win the conference tourney
Cut 17 (14) “next week”
The Lions basketball team faced adversity two weeks ago when a couple of their players were involved in a shooting on campus. James Currington was wounded and Jabbar Singleton was arrested for allegedly firing a warning shot. Ladner says team chemistry helped them get past that rough patch
Cut 18 (13) “proud of em”
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The Ragin Cajuns are the top seed in this week’s Sun Belt Tournament in New Orleans. UL Lafayette finished the regular season with an overtime loss against Little Rock. Coach Bob Marlin says Saturday’s defeat reminds his team they can not take anything for granted as they try to earn an NCAA Tournament bid
Cut 19 (14) “prove it”